The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-02-09
Terrible Railway Disaster

River and Destroyed by Fire-A Broken
Axle "A Broken Rail the Cause-Prob-
able Number of Lives Lost Thirty-six,
and Thirty-six Persons More or Less
Injured.
A shocking accident on the Central Yer
mont railroad occurred at half-past two
o'clock Saturday morning, about two miles
this side of Hartford station. at the Wood
stock bridge near the old Woodstock station.
1t was a Howe deck bridge and some forty
feet above the ice The train-which was
the Boston mail, No. 30 (Smith Sturtevant,
conductors and Charles Pierce, engineer)-
left White River Junction considerably late.
II consisted of one baggage and express-car
combined, one mail and smoker combined,
two ordinary passenger-cars and two Pull
man sleeping-cars-the " Pilgrim " and st
Albans" OF the latter, one left Boston with
twenty-four passengers, and the other came
from Springfield, Mass, with fourteen pas
sengers, and, with one of the passenger
cars, was connected with the train at White
River Junction. Thirty rods east of the
end of the bridge (Which was five hundred
thirty feet in lengthy the train struck a
broken rail $50 it was stated in all the Sat
urday reports), over which the engine and
combined baggage and express and com
bined mail and smoking-cars passed safely
and cleared the bridge, but the two passen-
ger-cars and two sleepers were derailed, and
on reaching the bridge We're broken from
the forward part of the train and precipi-
tated to the solid ice below. Now it is re-
ported that the railroad officials think the
accident was caused by broken journal on
the rear car, which first left the track and
pulled the other three cars off the bridge.
AS soon as possible the detached part of the
train was stopped and run back to the scene
of the disaster When those on it arrived
the screams of the injured and suffering
were heartrending in the extreme. Assist
ance also came from neighboring farm
houses everything possible being done to
rplipyp tbp iniurp1 and suffering victims
Soon after help arrived 1t was noticed that
fire had started in the first passenger
and soon the entire train was abaze. One
account says that the burning of the pas
senger-coaches set fire to the bridge, and
this in turn set fire to the Pullman cars
so that the Pullman cars would have es-
capped destruction had not the bridge taken
fire.
George Parker, brakeman, residing in
Windsor, brought the news of the disaster
to White River Junction. He says he was
on the second car, and had just gone on to
the forward platform to go to the front car,
when he felt a severe shock and he was con-
fident that the train had left the iron. He
knew he was somewhere near the bridge.
Jumping for safety, he rolled over and
over down the bank, and when he brought
up he was within few feet of the river. He
saw the paSsenger-cars go down, and run
ming to house near by he procured
team and drove to the junction and alarmed
the railway officials and citizens as quickly
as he could. All the engines there, includ-
ing the shifters, were set to whistling to
arouse the people. The officials made up
train as quick as they could, and with ply
sicans citizens and railway help and wreck
ing apparatus, went to the scene of the awful
disaster Before the relief train started the
light of the burning cars was plainly seen at
the Junction, and was observed for about
one hour When the train reached the
wreck the progress of the flames had been
rand that tho hri1Up and tbp fpur ~
were practically destroyed. few burning
timbers were seen and the iron work of the
cars was scattered over the ice. The only
house near the scene was that of Oscar
Paine, a farmer, and had it not been for
his hospitabe roof some of the injured
would undoubtedly have persisted from cold
and exposure. The news of the disaster
was at once telegraphed to St. Adams.
Superintendent Foss and Vice-president
Smith left Immediately for the scene. Con-
ductor Sturtevant was reported to be seri-
ously hurt, and his wife and eldest son went
down on the morning mail. Later in the
forenoon President Smith, General Manager
Hobart and other officials of the road went
down by special train. A number of physi-
clans from the vicinity of the accident were
on hand promptly, and others were taken
from Burlington and st. Albans and every
thing possible was done to relieve those who
were injured.
STATEMENTS OF PASSENGERS
CHARLES NJ. HosMER of Lowell book
keeper for Otis Allen & Son, makes the
following statement: 81 took the train at
Lowell was in the Central Vermont
sleeper. l remember twenty-one others
who were in the car with me. / knew none
of them personally Several of them were
going to Montreal. There were five ladies
in that car. | was awakened out of sleep
and the first | knew was the humping of the
car / got on to my knees and the car be-
gan to sway with sickening motion; next
came sudden crash, and at first all was
darkness and confusion. | do not remem-
Der that there was any screaming, but there
were meanings and calls for help. | found
myself pinned down by part of a seat,
which lay across my hips, but | broke a
window and somehow or other, | cannot
tell how, l worked myself out of the car on
to the ice. Should think the car dropped
tifty-hve feet; the other three cars were also
on the ice, the four having broken away
from the forward part of the train My
clothing, with the exception of two shirts
and socks, was torn from me in getting out.
l lost everything else that / had with me.
A gentleman who occupied berth next to
me, but whose name / did not know, was
struggling amidst the ruins. He asked me
to help him, and l finally succeeded in ex-
Treating him. There was lady in the
ruins underneath me, whom we saved, but
she was almost naked when we took her
from the car. She said that she never could
have been taken out if she had kept all of
her clothing on l think l was the first
person who got out of the car. A Mr..
Hutchins of Montgomery, W.T. who took
the train at Concord, n. H., escaped and
assisted in saving others. The lady we
helped out proved to be Mrs. Dryden of
Montreal. | worked until / was so chilled
that | could do nothing more. In a few
minutes after the crash the cars took fire,
and amid the swirling flames which Tapped
on to the bridge and illuminated the valley
for long distance those who We're unable
to escape were soon in the embrace of death.
cannot now realize the terrible aspect of
the last scene. When the flames burst out
| could see imprisoned passengers either
calling for help or insensble, but there was
no power to save them. | walked, or rather
crawled, to a house, where ! got some
clothing. Our car was the second of the
sleepers. Ont of the twenty-five in my car
personally know that nine at least were
saved. Mrs Dryden was seriously injured
in the back"
AN occupant of the Boston sleeper whose
name could not be ascertained, said the car
was full every berth being occupied. The
train was late out of White River Junction
and when ii left it had a sleeper from Spring
field besides passenger-car. He thinks il
must have been about ten minutes past two
A. NJ. when he was awakened by the quiv-
ering of the car, as if it was off the rail
This movement he noticed but a short time
when he became conscious that the coach
had gone over the abutment of the bridge